Changes
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: Stefan is hunting for a new addition to his flock when he comes across a teenage girl he can't turn his back on. What is her story? How will her life and his change when they meet? /rated for later chapters and safety had to up rating for content in new chapters/
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Mercy Thompson Series

Changes

It was late night and Andrea Martinez had found herself so far from home and unable to go back. Andrea had grown up in an abusive home in Medford, Oregon and in a last effort to protect her, her mother had sent her to relatives in Gibbon, Washington but life there seemed no better. Her relatives in Gibbon didn't want her there and she decided to run away and live on her own. She had then found herself barely scraping by and wondering what she could do from there. She had tried and tried to find work but without a home or high school diploma she was finding it practically impossible. She had run out of money and was running low on hope.

She was panhandling on the side of 9th street in Benton City when an oddly painted Volkswagen van drove up and stopped in front of her it looked like the mystery machine from Scooby Doo. She stepped up to the opening window expecting to be either propositioned for prostitution, which meant she would refuse and walk away or offered some small amount of money that she would take while trying to hide her reluctance to do so.

"What happened to cause a young woman such as you to walk the streets like this?" the man's thick Italian accent caught Andrea off guard but there was more to him that made Andrea wonder about him.

The question had brought her up short, she had no idea how she would explain to him why she ran away from home. She looked away from him.

"You ran away, didn't you?" he inferred "Might I ask why?"

Andrea was getting increasingly uncomfortable and stepped back away from the vehicle hoping the stranger would give up and leave. She wondered how he had her pegged so quickly. Instead of leaving he turned on his hazard lights, got out of the vehicle and approached her.

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Stefan watched as the teenager became increasingly apprehensive at his questions and he began to worry about what could have possibly been so bad about home that this girl thought the streets were better. When she stepped away from the van he began to get a better picture of what the answers might be and he found the ideas that crossed his mind troubled him greatly. He turned on the hazard lights and got out of his van. Had he not already set his sights on her, his mind had been made up by this encounter with her. She was skinny and frightened in a world that seemed so cruel to her, he wanted to show her that not everyone was like that; he wanted to show her the kindness she had obviously not experienced before.

"What happened to you?" he asked; his voice soft.

"Why do you even care?" she snapped back anger covering what he could only assume were years of pain and fear.

Stefan stayed silent for a moment noting that the girl in front of him was short, possibly under five feet tall and likely underweight. Her long, jet black hair was dirty as if she had been on the streets for days or maybe even weeks and her face hinted at her possibly being Hispanic or Native American or some mix thereof.

"I was abused… okay… is that what you want to hear?" she demanded defensively. "That my dad abused me?"

"Is it true?" he asked his voice soft and calming.

She looked at him trying to get answers from his posture and expression.

"Yes," he noticed her tone had changed from defensive to something reflecting more of what Stefan saw in her posture and expressions. Shame, guilt, fear and so many other emotions that he couldn't or just didn't want to name were spread over her face. She began to look more exhausted and so much younger than she had when he first pulled up. At first he had thought she was in her twenties but looking at her now made him think she was still in her mid to late teens.

Andrea didn't recognize her own voice when she responded to the stranger's question of if what she had said was true. She was stunned when powerful arms pulled her close in an embrace. His skin was cold to the touch and Andrea wondered what this man was. Either way, the touch of another was still comforting and she returned the embrace as sobs began to rack her body despite her best efforts to keep them at bay. His cool skin felt so good compared to the stifling heat of the near record high temperatures she had experienced since running away that made her wonder if running away in the middle of a July heat wave was such a smart move.

She had heard rumors and myths that said that vampires were real, but she didn't believe them. Now she wondered if the Good Samaritan that seemed to care so much about her was a vampire or something else. She had heard that vampires had cold skin among other traits that this man exhibited that lead her to her suspicion.

"Why did you come here to me?" she asked pushing out of the embrace and the stranger let go, "Why do you care so much?"

"Because I want to help you," he replied simply, figuring that building a relationship on lies was never a good idea.

"Why would you help me?" she asked, "You don't even know me!"

"You've had a hard time so far, but that doesn't mean you can't have a better life than that." He replied "Just let me help you."

"I…" she hesitated not sure what this man wanted in return for his help, "I don't know". She turned away from him, hugging herself insecurely. She was hesitant to trust him, and it wasn't just because she didn't know him.

"My name is Stefan," he said.

"Andrea" She replied.

"How about I buy you a hot meal and we can talk about what I am offering." Stefan proposed.

Andrea was tempted to refuse but her growling stomach reminded her that she had not eaten in a few days.

"Okay," she replied.

"Good," Stefan smiled slightly and they got into the van together.

True to his word Stefan bought Andrea food from a local diner to go and sat in the back of his van with her as she ate he would have gone the fast food route but he figured after so many days of not eating she needed the more substantial portions of the diner and the fact that the meal came with vegetables and a main course that looked a hundred times more healthy than a fast food cheeseburger didn't hurt. He could tell she had been a while without food by her build and the sound her stomach was making. He waited to let her eat before he started asking questions, he wanted her to get her fill not worry about thinking about what he had to say to her.

He gave his proposal for her to come live with him once it seemed she had eaten her fill carefully hiding the fact that he was a vampire.

Andrea looked at the last few bites of her food for a moment her mind going over her options. Broke and starving on the street or living in a home with consistent, hot meals, a place to bathe and a warm bed to sleep in.

"What will this cost me?" she asked not used to having anything come her way for free. She looked into Stefan's eyes for a moment then began to realize her suspicion was right. She began to think about things, was it worth it to surrender herself to a vampire to get the necessities of life. Could she live with herself if she chose this path, true living with the vampire couldn't be much worse than living with her father, really given how he had treated her thus far it seemed like life with Stefan would be better than life with her father.

"You aren't human are you?" she asked looking away from his eyes fear edging into her tone, "You need me for some reason."

"You're a smart young woman" he observed, "Yes I kind of do need you, but it seems you need me more."

"Are you like a vampire?"

"Something like that…"

"Wait, if you're a vampire and you bite me won't I become…"

"It is neither that quick nor that simple to become a vampire." He explained, as Andrea seemed to relax.

Andrea weighed her options a life with a vampire, which provided a roof over her head, three meals a day and a bed or a life on the streets barely surviving. She looked Stefan over; he seemed nice enough, better than her father or other relatives.

"There are others like you living with me so when I do take from you; it won't be any more than your body can handle losing." He further explained that the home and food would not be her only reward for allowing him to feed from her from time to time. He explained that she would gain prolonged life and abilities that he possessed via him giving her a little of his own blood.

She rolled the ideas around in her head and soon agreed to the proposition as she finished her meal.

"Rest now, the ride to Pasco will take some time." He told her and got into the driver seat while Andrea made herself comfortable in the back seat.

Soon they were off on their way to Stefan's home and Andrea's final thought before the darkness of sleep overtook her was that she hoped this was the right decision.

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Stefan watched as his new passenger's breathing fell into the slow rhythm of sleep and he began to think about what Andrea had told him about herself. Really it wasn't much but Stefan didn't feel like it was his place to pry into her business she would tell him when she felt ready.

Other vampires might have just captured the girl instead of propositioning her the way he did but he wasn't other vampires. He hadn't told her of his vampirism she had come to that conclusion on her own and in the end agreed willingly to join his menagerie; this idea made him think that her home life had to be horrible if she was willing to choose to run or accept this offer from essentially a perfect stranger over going home.

She woke moments later, gulping air, her brow drenched in a cold sweat her eyes wide with fear the scent of which perfumed the van but Stefan was able to ignore it.

"Calm down, you were only dreaming." He told her gently his dark eyes focused on the road in front of him.

She let out a breath and leaned back now sitting properly on the bench seat.

"I am curious why you chose to take this offer when you have no idea what you're getting into." He asked looking at her in the rearview mirror as he waited for the light to turn green..

"This is infinitely better than what I had at home, and I was kind of hoping that you would protect me from someone." She sighed staring out the window, hugging her knees and resting her cheek against her knee. "My father has been searching for me since my mom secretly sent me away." She paused rubbing at her eyes sleepily "my mother told him that I ran away and that she had no idea where I would have gone. I figure it's only a matter of time before he finds out the truth and comes to Washington looking for me."

"You do not need to worry; I would never let him take you away." Stefan assured her "I vow to you on my honor you will be safe in my home."

"Thank you" Andrea looked down awkwardly at the proclamation Stefan had made, she figured that a vampire's honor meant a lot to him or maybe it just meant a lot to this particular vampire.

Stefan watched as Andrea's eyelids drooped blearily.

"Go back to sleep, little lamb, we will be home soon." He told her his tone surprisingly soothing.

Andrea stretched out over the back seat again and soon fell asleep to the thought of how affectionate the term 'little lamb' sounded coming from him.

Her father had never used terms of endearment for her; he cursed her several times, called her horrible names but not a single one out of any sort of affection or kindness. He had wanted a boy and acted ashamed that he had instead gotten a girl.

Stefan came to a stop at a red light and let his mind wander over what he had learned about his new charge. Her life had been horrible before this and he could only hope it would get better now. He was pretty sure that it couldn't get much worse for her.

He thought it was best not to feed from her right away if he could avoid it, she was malnourished and he was unsure of how taking blood from her now would affect her. He knew he would have to tie her to himself with the exchange of blood but that could be done with only small amounts taken from her until she got to a healthier weight then he'd take more.

When they got to the house he noticed that she was weak from her exhaustion and her body didn't want to move. A small blood exchange gave her the strength to move and put him one-step closer to a mind connection with her.

Naomi watched as the teenager entered the house. Stefan introduced her to Naomi and Naomi got the newcomer some clean pajamas to go to bed in.

"You might want to get her to bed pretty quick, she's not doing good." Stefan explained, "I will explain more once she is settled."

Naomi nodded knowing Stefan often had his reasons for saying things.

Andrea was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and Naomi returned to Stefan hoping to get answers. She knew she should have expected someone new ever since Daniel was turned and killed and one of the female longtime residents disappeared, she just hadn't expected someone in as bad a shape as Andrea.

"She comes from an abusive home; I'd be surprised if she were 16 years old." Stefan continued to explain and letting Naomi know everything he knew about Andrea and Naomi's heart broke.

"She might be the hardest case you have to deal with Stefan; none of us faced that kind of abuse before. I'll see if I can find out more from her, but it seems she doesn't want to relive her torture."

"I can understand that, but I would like to know what I am dealing with." Stefan sighed.

The next night Naomi was in the kitchen when Andrea arrived, Naomi noticed the younger girl looked better rested than she had when she arrived and she could also tell that she had a nice shower since the night before. It was still early for Stefan to be moving around so Naomi thought it was a good idea to get to know the teen and maybe give some of what she learned over to Stefan.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better," Andrea replied a small smile playing across her features "I'm Andrea."

"Naomi, it's good to meet you… welcome." Naomi took a seat beside Andrea at the bar so they could talk. She didn't mention that they had already been introduced; she figured that Andrea had been too close to asleep to recall that little detail from her arrival the night before.

"How old are you?" Naomi continued

"I'll turn seventeen in two weeks." She replied slightly awkwardly.

Naomi nodded, Stefan's estimate of Andrea being under sixteen years-old had been slightly off but he was close and with her slight build Naomi wasn't surprised that Stefan's estimate was a bit low.

"Is it weird that Stefan makes me nervous?"

"He made us all nervous when we first arrived." Naomi assured her "No that's not weird."

"It has nothing to do with the fact that Stefan is a vampire. I just have trouble trusting men; I think it has a lot to do with how I grew up… my father…" Andrea hesitated she didn't know Naomi well enough to tell her the things her father had done to her.

Naomi saw the conflict in Andrea's eyes, she wanted to tell her story but she was frightened of some unseen force that she feared would come out and harm her should she tell anyone what was done to her.

"Andrea, no one is going to hurt you." Naomi said reassuringly putting a hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"I don't know…" Andrea walked away and Naomi gave a soft sigh. She was worried about

"She'll open up in her own time." Stefan's voice caught Naomi off guard.

"She'll be seventeen in a couple of weeks and… Stefan it isn't that she doesn't want to talk about her ordeal, she does… she's just so frightened." Naomi looked down at her hands. "Her father has her so scared of him that even hundreds of miles away his influence is playing havoc with her. She's afraid that if she even tells anyone what he did to her he will find out what happened to her something bad would happen."

"Give her time to realize she is protected in these walls, she will open up." He told Naomi gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

Andrea watched as Stefan and Naomi spoke and she allowed the vampire to feed from her, it didn't seem like the violent affair that horror movie writers/directors liked to inflict on their audiences, far from it. From her point of view it seemed like a rather peaceful event and she wondered how long Naomi had been there to not even flinch at the bite, a moment Andrea was convinced there was no way wasn't painful for anyone on the receiving end.

She figured she would find out soon enough, eventually he would request this of her and she would learn if it took time to be able to stand still through that or if the bite wasn't as painful as it appeared. She wasn't banking on it being painless, far from it; she expected it to be extremely painful she was letting someone with fangs bite her after all.

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Almost a month had passed since Andrea was brought into Stefan's home and other than a few tiny exchanges she noted that Stefan hadn't tried to actually feed from her. She knew the tiny amounts he had taken were nowhere near what he would take at a normal feeding, she had seen him with the others; he stayed with them for what seemed like so much longer than he did her and held them in a different way than he did her. She wondered when her number would be up and was getting more and more anxious about it.

Some of the existing residents had noticed her anxiety and brought it to Stefan's attention that perhaps it was time he quit putting this off and really fed from her even though he felt her weight was still slightly low. They figured that was the source of her anxiety was the fear of what that moment would be like for her and the only way to settle her would be for her to experience it herself for the first time.

Stefan looked into the library that he kept stocked with books for the residents and noticed Andrea sitting alone reading a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She seemed to be completely taken in by the story line of the book and he noticed she jumped in surprise as she realized he had come to sit beside her. He kept forgetting how new she was to his flock and wasn't completely used to how silently he could move about.

Andrea nearly jumped from the couch when Stefan sat down beside her. She was still getting used to how quietly the vampire could move when he wanted to. She slipped a scrap of paper in the book to mark her place and turned her full attention to Stefan. She had found that Stefan was an easy to like person, he spoke to her like she was important and treated her as she had always wished her father would have treated her.

"The others say you've been a bit anxious lately, what is bothering you?" he asked gently his hand resting on her shoulder.

She looked away not sure what to say to him.

"I'm just… I guess I'm nervous… I've seen… I've seen what happens when you bite the others I… I'm just afraid it will hurt. They tell me it won't but…" she hesitated to finish her sentence but she didn't need to finish it he knew what she was feeling.

A small smile formed on Stefan's features as he encouraged Andrea to lean back against him and she complied. She trusted Stefan more than she had trusted her own father, but after what he had done to her it was unsurprising that she trusted Stefan.

"You have trouble believing them?" Stefan asked

Andrea nodded silently.

"Let me prove it to you." He told her "Let me show you that it won't hurt you."

"Okay, does that mean you will...?"

"Yes, and I will restrain your hands at your stomach, it's for your own protection… if you jerked suddenly while I was feeding I could cut the wrong thing and…"

"I understand." She replied crossing her arms over her stomach and staying still as he put his arm over hers then grasped her hands, applying just enough pressure that she wouldn't be able to free herself but not enough to cause pain.

Stefan could feel her tension, she needed to relax or her fears would be proven right.

"Relax, little one," he whispered running the fingers of his free hand against her cheek softly then moved her hair from her neck.

He felt her take a deep breath and her muscles began to relax and he took full advantage of her relaxed state to bite and begin to feed.

Stefan held her firm as the taste of her blood filled his mouth. Not many outside of the vampire community realized that there were miniscule differences in the taste of each individual's blood. Andrea was no exception to him.

She didn't fight him as his fangs sunk into her skin, and it was obvious that this bite was proving the others in his flock right to her that she had nothing to fear of him or his feeding from her. As his abilities went to work on her he could feel her go boneless against him. He knew to expect this effect as he fed from her and was glad his powers worked so well on her.

Then he started to feel her tense up as he got closer to the point where he cut himself off. At that point he had heard from several of his sheep over the years that it began to feel a deep ache along with the sense that all the heat was being drained with their blood, but that when he completes the exchange that feeling goes away.

He then belatedly realized he had forgotten to warn her that would happen. He stayed in the bite for a few more seconds before he finished feeding, gently licked the wounds clean and pulled her into the warmth of his lap to give her some of his own blood in return for hers.

As he fed he had noticed Naomi peak in then ease the door shut quiet enough that Andrea, who had shut her eyes at some point to enjoy the euphoric feeling he pushed through her. She didn't notice and jerk dangerously in his grasp. Not that she would be able to move enough to cause herself harm but he was still glad she didn't feel what it would have felt like to fight against him. He knew that unwilling prey went through a lot of pain and discomfort if they were not properly enthralled when the vampire fed from them. Some more sadistic vampires would do that for fun, Stefan saw it as cruel. Sure he, like so many others of his kind, found the sounds and smell of terror appetizing he also saw how taking from those who would give voluntarily had its own place and reward.

He had developed his hold over many years to protect those he fed from being injured needlessly in the process. Sure some of the seethe accused him of coddling his 'sheep' but he didn't listen to them, he was the most consistent in putting out new vampires for a reason he took care of his people. He realized they were fragile and voluntarily trusted him with their lives, he saw no reason to not protect them in return. Most of them saw it as a very intimate moment when he fed from them thus why Naomi shut the door for Andrea's first time, it needed to be just him and her so he could focus completely on dealing with the after effects of the feeding.

"So cold…" she whispered her teeth chattering.

"Do not be afraid. You will feel better soon." He told her as he pressed the cut on his wrist to her lips then instructed her to drink. She did, the taste of his blood was a familiar thing to Andrea, a comfort in a way it shouldn't have been. After it was all over Stefan held her for several minutes.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." She admitted, "I was sure that was going to hurt."

"You grew afraid there for a minute, what was wrong?" he asked.

"I started to feel so cold and…"

"That will happen, but it isn't something that you should worry about, I won't leave you in that state for long, and know I will never let you get hurt." he promised. He knew where that statement was going it was a fear that filtered through the minds of almost every new person in his flock.

Andrea nodded indicating that she understood that.

"Stefan… you've asked me about what my dad did to me… so far I've just… I've wanted to say but… it isn't easy for me to talk about that." She sighed rearranging herself so she could press her forehead into the side of Stefan's neck and Stefan ran his fingers through her hair in reply.

Stefan didn't speak, just allowed her to find a position that was both comfortable and comforting for her. He was sure this was about to lead her to opening up to him about her past and maybe some healing for her.

"But I think I owe you that much after what you have done for me…" she paused to collect her thoughts before continuing.

"When I was little my father thought spanking was okay and… yeah that hurt but it wasn't so bad… when I got older he thought that wasn't… wasn't enough."

Stefan just let her speak it was obvious by the way she could barely get the words out that she was facing demons she had buried for months or even years.

"When I was twelve I missed curfew for the third time in a week and instead of spanking me or grounding me as I expected me he… he pulled me down into the basement and…"

Stefan stayed quiet to allow her the freedom to talk as she saw fit, he had plenty of time to devote to listening to her so he would give her all the time she needed to tell him what she needed to say.

She then revealed that her father had beaten her badly and did so often after that when she broke the rules.

Andrea noticed as Stefan's embrace tightened slightly around her in a silent promise that it would not happen again.

Stefan now understood why she would prefer this life to home, here her father couldn't get to her and beat her.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

As Andrea went to bed her hand came to rest where Stefan had bit her. She had been stunned with how little discomfort she felt through the process. In the initial bite she realized his fangs had to be exceptionally sharp as she didn't feel pain from the bite just the cool moisture of his mouth on her skin. He had told her his mark would not show up when she looked in the mirror for reasons she just attributed to magic and left at that

She remembered the euphoric high she had felt as he fed from her, she hadn't fully understood it but it was a feeling she wouldn't mind feeling again in the future. She guessed that was why others consented to being fed from again and again.

She looked up as Naomi came in to speak with her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better... a bit." She replied "Can you hold me?" She asked looking down self-consciously.

"Of course," Naomi replied and embraced the teenager in her arms.

Andrea returned the embrace and cuddled into the older woman. The embrace was comforting but she really wanted Stefan. She didn't understand how the vampire made her feel she had never been that drawn to a male, never felt that she could be safe around a male before him. When he held her she felt important, like someone actually cared about her, not that Naomi didn't care about her, she did, it just wasn't the same as actually having a man, vampire or otherwise actually care about her.

Stefan became extremely worried as he felt Andrea's mind calling out for him in search of comfort though he could tell she couldn't completely understand her feelings about him yet. She wasn't used to men showing her such unconditional affection. It was depressing for him to think about what she mud have endured all those years to make her so confused about love; especially when that love came from a man. He wanted to help her learn how to handle that, understand that not all men are like her father, that there are men out there that will care for her and love her.

Stefan arrived at Andrea's room to see Naomi just leaving.

"She has no idea how to handle the changes we have made to her life." Naomi told him.

"She'll figure it out, it will just take time." Stefan replied as he heard Andrea moving around in her room. He didn't tell Naomi that Andrea had called out for him as he wasn't sure Andrea had realized what she had done, and if she did do it on purpose he didn't want her to feel like she was wrong for reaching out for him when she needed him.

He started inside to check on her and found her curled up under the comforter with her back to the door. The scent of fear that perfumed the room broke his heart. She knew what she had done and feared that he would punish her.

Andrea was afraid of what Stefan would do to her. Would he punish her for being burden to him? She was shocked when she felt Stefan sit beside her then in one fluid motion pulled her from her blanket cocoon and into his arms.

"I'm sorry"

The pathetic sound to her voice broke Stefan's heart.

"Do not apologize, little one, I am not angry with you." He assured her. "I want you to know that you can always call me if you need me, no matter the reason."

"You really aren't mad?" The amount of hope in her tone made him want to rip her father's throat out. Her father had conditioned her to fear punishment for things she should never be punished for.

"I am not mad at you" Stefan replied "Your father on the other hand... He crosses me and no one will ever find his body."

Andrea looked at him not entirely sure what to make of Stefan's words. She knew by his tone he was serious about killing her father if pressed to the point that it was necessary. Did that mean that if she was in danger he would save her? The answer came in the way Stefan subtly held her tighter.

"I vowed to you before, on my honor, that I would protect you and you have done nothing to make me change my mind. You were an innocent girl who was betrayed by the one who should have protected her, what was done to you was not nor will it ever be your fault. Your father was a monster for punishing you when what you needed was a loving touch." He paused as she cuddled into him. "Sleep now, little lamb, you are safe here."

Andrea fell asleep and Stefan settled her in bed before leaving, the desire to hunt down and kill Andrea's father in the most painful way he could think of still haunting his mind and putting an unusually cruel smile on his features.

Rachel had to admit that the look in Stefan's eyes as he left Andrea's room was truly terrifying. She had never seen him this angry, even when he took her in as a runaway twelve year old was he ever that furious.

"If he ever gets a hold of Andrea's father he's a dead man." She commented to Vanessa, another resident of the house.

"And it won't be a quick death either. Stefan I going to savor killing that pathetic excuse for a human being." Vanessa agreed

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Days turned into weeks and it was beginning to look like Andrea's fears were unfounded and that her father wasn't searching for her. Then one evening not too long after sunset a man showed up at the front door. Nicole could tell who he was the moment she laid eyes on him. She used her link to Stefan to call for him as she figured that it would be best to have him deal with Andrea's father. If she couldn't tell by looking at the man, the fact that Andrea ran from the room as soon as she lay eyes on him was a good indicator of who she was dealing with.

Kyle had helped Stefan find a layer that contacted Andrea's mother who signed her rights to Andrea over Stefan after he proved that he had taken good care of her and would continue to do so as long as she was in his care. He had offered to shelter Andrea's mother Nancy from her husband but she refused and he let her go since she had no idea he was a vampire therefore couldn't expose him as one. They were working on getting custody taken from her father Julio when he showed up at their door looking for her.

Stefan stepped in front of Naomi and she let him. She didn't want to deal with Andrea's father, she had no sympathy for child abusers ago in her mind he deserved whatever Stefan did to him.

"May I help you?" Stefan asked flatly.

"Give me my daughter." Julio said angrily.

"Your daughter…" Stefan echoed acting like he didn't know who the other man was talking about when the truth was he did know, he knew exactly who Julio wanted and he would not let her go.

"My daughter, Andrea, I saw her run towards the back!" the man's breath reeked of alcohol and Stefan wasn't going to allow him anywhere near Andrea, though that had little to do with the fact that Julio was drunk.

"Her mother gave me custody and strict instructions not to let you anywhere near her." Stefan replied coolly.

Julio tried to push past Stefan but he couldn't budge the vampire.

"You are not getting into this house." Stefan said his voice holding a dangerous edge to it he hated abusers and this man was getting on his last nerve.

It took a lot of effort but eventually Stefan was able to get Andrea's father to leave. He then headed upstairs to deal with Andrea and the aftermath of seeing her father after all he did to her.

Andrea threw herself into Stefan's arms and began to sob uncontrollably, he sat on the bed with her and held her close, cooing soft comforting words into her hair as she sobbed. He was doing all he could to reassure her that her father would never be allowed to lay a hand on her again. She was terrified of even the thought of being with her father for even a moment.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Mercy arrived at the house a couple of hours later to see if Stefan wanted to join them for bad movie night, she was shocked at the smell of rage and fear that clung to Stefan.

"What's going on?" she asked

"Mercy, I do not believe it is a good idea for me to leave the house, I have a new member of my flock and she needs my attention more than the others." He explained.

"Is everything okay, Stefan?" she asked.

Stefan instructed Mercy to take a seat in the kitchen as Naomi made them some tea. He told her about Andrea and what she went through at her own father's hands and Mercy was obviously infuriated.

"How could a man do that to his own child?" she wondered.

"I do not know" Stefan sighed, "but until she is settled I do not believe I need to leave the house for very long at a time."

"That's probably a good idea." Mercy admitted looking into her cup as if it held the answers as to what to say to him about the situation.

She was livid; child abuse had that effect on her. To know the victim was I that house made it all the more real for her. She heard someone open the refrigerator; she looked over and noticed a small teen she had never seen before. Her long black hair was up in a French braid and she had the look of a member of one of the Southwestern Tribes, likely Navajo but Mercy wasn't willing to put any money on the bet.

The girl made eye contact with Mercy and then looked to Stefan to make sure Mercy was okay.

Mercy noted that the girl's eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying and felt her own heart break for this girl.

"Mercy, this is Andrea… Andrea this is my good friend Mercedes, but everyone calls her Mercy."

"Hi, it's good to meet you, Mercy." Andrea said sheepishly.

"You too," Mercy replied "You really don't need to worry about anything, Stefan will keep you safe."

"That's what he told me, but it… it's just hard for me to trust." Andrea replied.

Mercy couldn't blame Andrea for what she said, her father had used her for a punching bag and Mercy couldn't begin to imagine what kind of emotional trauma that left behind.

Mercy wished them well and left, she would have to talk to someone about the effects of child abuse, and what, if anything she could do to help Andrea recover herself.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Andrea huddled into her blankets that morning, Stefan had reminded her that this was her safe haven and that no one would be allowed to harm her. She wanted desperately to believe that, but Stefan didn't know the opponent he had found in Julio Martinez. He would find a way to get to her and make her regret ever leaving home.

Her last thought before she fell asleep was she hoped that Mercy, Naomi and Stefan were right in saying that she was safe in this house from her father.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Another month passed but Julio didn't reappear to try and reclaim his daughter. The hope was he had either given up or was arrested for other crimes but Stefan was still on edge about the situation, he wasn't so sure they would be that fortunate. Julio had been adamant about getting his daughter back and Stefan figured he wouldn't give up so easily.

Andrea was once again beginning to settle down into Stefan's home, she was getting close to Naomi and Rachel. It was also becoming so easy to trust Stefan, she was beginning to understand that part of this was because of his powers as a vampire and she really didn't have that big a problem with that fact, he took care of her the way her father had not done. He made her feel important, feel loved, that was something she wasn't used to feeling from a man, but she figured it was something she could easily get used to.

Naomi sighed as she approached Stefan, she had noticed something wrong with Andrea and she wasn't sure what it was.

"Stefan..."

"I know something is wrong with Andrea, I am looking into getting her to a physician as soon as possible, the paperwork has you as having legal right to take her to the doctor or hospital and get her care should the need arise as most doctors are not in their office while I am awake."

Naomi nodded, "I'll make sure that is taken care of." She promised.

Stefan knew he could count on Naomi to keep things going smoothly and take care of any situations that arise with her.

"She has been acting oddly the past few days," Naomi told him "She's been drinking a lot of water and eating a lot but she's lost weight again."

"I noticed that she was losing weight," Stefan agreed.

"I don't understand what is going on but it's likely that a doctor will; I'll try to get her an appointment as soon as possible." Naomi agreed.

"Good, call later this morning and set up an appointment and we will see what comes of it."

Vanessa came running into the room as Stefan finished speaking.

"Stefan… Andrea just collapsed." Vanessa sounded panicked. Stefan and Naomi both ran into the other room to see Rachel sitting with an unconscious Andrea where the younger girl had collapsed on the floor.

"Rachel, what happened?" Stefan asked.

"She started complaining that she was dizzy and thirsty. She got up to get a drink of water and collapsed." Rachel replied.

Stefan could tell something was wrong, her pulse was wrong her breathing was wrong and he knew this was not anything he could handle in house; he would have to take her to the ER if she was going to survive.

"We need to get her to the hospital to find out what is going on." He proclaimed. He knew a lot of vampires in even his own seethe that would have likely either let her die or snapped her neck and killed her right then and there but that wasn't his style. He would find out what was wrong with her and take care of her.

They rushed her to the hospital and she was taken back for testing. Rachel told the doctor exactly what happened right before Andrea collapsed.

After what seemed like hours Samuel Cornick came in to tell them his findings.

"Her blood sugar is in the 500's, what happened tonight is she fell into a coma. We are giving her insulin as we speak." Samuel informed them.

"What could cause this to happen?" Stefan asked in concern.

"We believe she has type-1 diabetes."

To be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Stefan paced silently as they waited for the report from the doctor. He was worried about Andrea; she had been through so much already he worried that this would be just one to many things on her plate to deal with. He went through the possibilities in his mind for any condition that could cause the symptoms the other members of his menagerie told him that she had exhibited, but so far nothing he came up with covered all of the different symptoms she showed. Thirst, hunger, weight loss, exhaustion, tremors, frequent trips to the bathroom all through the day and night. He was really confused by this as the conditions he came up with either were missing some key symptoms or exhibited a major symptom that she didn't have.

Naomi watched as Stefan fidgeted in his seat, she knew he was worried about Andrea, they all were, this was the first time in years that anything remotely like this had occurred in Stefan's home.

After what seemed like hours the Samuel came out of the emergency room his face unreadable.

"Dr. Cornick, how is Andrea?" Stefan asked as he sat up.

"She's not doing well, we're transferring her to intensive care as we speak so her blood sugar can be carefully monitored until she wakes up." Samuel explained "We are giving her insulin and it's looking good for her but this is going to be something she struggling with for the rest of her life as there is no cure for diabetes."

Stefan was shocked, he had yet to have a member of his "flock" have this particular condition, it would be interesting to find out exactly how the blood exchanges would affect her condition if they had any effect at all.

Stefan took a seat his dark eyes focused on a spot on the floor, it wasn't like he didn't ever have to deal with medical conditions within his flock, you have as many humans as he does in his house one is bound to have a health problem at some point in time and this was no exception.

"When she's awake I'll talk with you and her about treatment options." Samuel continued.

"Okay, I would like to go back and see her." Stefan said calmly.

"You are her legal guardian so I can't keep you away from her, no matter what time of day it is." Samuel said doing well to hide the fact that he didn't like the fact that the sixteen year old was in the custody of a vampire. He had noticed that there were no marks on her neck, which only went to prove that he hadn't fed from her in the past twenty-four to forty-eight hours depending on how Stefan handled his flock, faster if he did a blood exchange every time, which if what Mercy had told him was anything to go by he did.

Samuel guided Stefan back to Andrea's room fighting back his instinct that said he wanted to take Andrea away from Stefan. He knew her history and it was clear she was thriving in Stefan's flock even with the symptoms of diabetes she was showing. Stefan had taken good care of her and Mercy told him that Stefan's people lived long, healthy lives while in his care, she had met some that had been with him for ten years or longer which was a shock to hear about humans in the care of a vampire as they rarely lasted 4 years without the vampire killing them whether on accident or purposely.

Stefan stopped at the door and looked at Samuel.

"Thank you for what you have done for her, I know you do not like my kind and I am glad you didn't punish her for that."

"She is innocent," Samuel paused briefly "and not many vampires would have brought her in, most that I have heard of would have either let her die or killed her outright."

"I have tasted too much death already; I would rather see her live as long as possible." Stefan replied then started into the room where Andrea lie with way too many tubes and wires coming from her form. He wondered if pulling blood from her would help the medicines work or just make matters worse. He wasn't sure and he wasn't willing to take the risk with her life on the line and Samuel so close by so he just sat down beside her and took her right hand into his own.

"Do not worry, little lamb, the doctors are taking good care of you, I will make sure you get the best care possible." He promised her "I promised you I would keep you safe and I do not plan to change my mind now.

Samuel couldn't pull himself from the door, he had to hear what Stefan said to Andrea and what was said shocked him. The vampire was promising to take care of her, make her well and give her the best life he could. Most vampires wouldn't have bothered bringing her in; much less would they be sitting by her side. They would have killed her or left her to die and gone to hunt out another to fill her spot in their flock, but not Stefan, he was taking care of her, making sure she got the life he believed she deserved.

Samuel walked away as Stefan fell silent, he knew eavesdropping was wrong but he had to know about the life Andrea had been put into if for no other reason to ease his conscious about leaving a teenager in the care of a vampire.

A few days later Samuel was shocked to learn that Stefan showed up every night about an hour after sunset to sit with Andrea and was often there until as close to sunrise as he could push it and still get home in time to feed and get to bed before sunrise. Stefan was being a father in more ways than Samuel ever dreamed a vampire would be. He knew vampires were evil, but knowing Stefan made it hard for him to keep believing that. Then he remembered what Marcillia had tried to do to Mercy and himself and it was easy to justify just calling Stefan the exception to the rule and going on about his life.

It took 4 days but soon Andrea finally woke up. At first she was a little confused about how she ended up in the hospital.

Samuel watched as Stefan explained that she collapsed and had been in a coma for several days due to her blood sugar being extremely high.

Samuel stepped up as Stefan finished and explained that she had type-one diabetes and that they were ready to discuss types of treatment to get her condition under control and keep it that way.

"Dr. Cornick, I don't know what options I have." Andrea said.

"A specialist will be in here in a few moments to lay out all the options you have and to figure out which one is best for you." Samuel said as a woman stepped in.

"Hello, I'm Danica Morrow, I am a diabetes specialist; I came tonight because I heard that this is the best time to get you and your guardian in the same room because of his schedule." She said.

Samuel excused himself and stepped out leaving them in Danica's hands.

"As I said I am Danica Morrow, I am a doctor and diabetes specialist, I was diagnosed as diabetic myself when I was about your age, Andrea, and I'll admit it was a life changing experience but you can get through it." Danica explained.

"I am Stefano Uccello, most people call me Stefan; I want to know how to take care of Andrea's needs." Stefan said.

"Well with her particular case she will need to take insulin shots and there are three options for that, the vial and syringe, which I'm going to be honest with you is not a fun ordeal, it's a lot of shots and a lot of time, but it's the cheaper of the three options. The second is an auto-injector, which looks like a pen, that eliminates measuring as you just turn a dial to a certain number and inject with the pen. The disadvantage to those is cost and the fact that once the auto injector is empty you have to throw it out so it's wasteful and expensive. The other option is an insulin pump, it's more expensive upfront but it's fewer shots and less measuring overall as the pump measures for you. I will teach her all she needs to know in order to use either set up we think is best for her and her lifestyle. To be honest I use the pump myself there is less to keep up with and it's very easy to handle once you learn how to use it. Though there is something of a learning curve to the pumps, I prefer them myself but that's just me, please don't let my bias color your judgement. What's right for me might not be what is right for Andrea."

Stefan seemed deep in thought.

"Do you have any idea which one you might choose?" Danica asked

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Stefan and Andrea spoke about the different options for several minutes before deciding on the insulin pump as the bed option for her. It was decided that she and Naomi would start work on learning how to use it the next day and for several days they did work on learning about carbohydrates and sugars and how to know how many were in any food item to help Andrea better take care of herself.

Stefan came to pick her up just after dark almost 2 weeks after she was admitted only to find that someone else had beaten him to her. He was furious, this was all wrong. No one should have been able to check her out it himself or Naomi but someone had done so.

After a few minutes of back and fourth with security he found out that their worst fears had been realized. Andrea's father had gotten her.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Andrea looked at her father from where she was laying in the backseat bound and gagged as he drove out of Kennewick towards places unknown and hoped that Stefan found her quickly. She reached out mentally to him but he didn't reply and she feared he couldn't hear her anymore. Then she heard him tell her it would be okay, he would do everything he could to get her back.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Stefan felt Andrea call for him but there was nothing he could do while he couldn't pinpoint her location. He knew she was afraid and he sent a message her way that he would save her and her father would pay for what he does to her.

Naomi was stunned to find out what had happened to Andrea as the teen was like her own daughter and she wanted to protect her from harm.

Andrea was confused as her father pulled over to the side of the road and terrified when she found herself blindfolded.

"You ran away from home and got me in trouble with the law. I think that deserves a severe punishment." He replied as he forced a gag into her mouth

"This is only the beginning." He said his tone cruel as he merged back into traffic.

Tears fell down Andrea's cheeks as she wondered if she would ever see Stefan again or if she would even see the light of day again.

After what seemed like ages the car came to a stop and she was carried and placed, face down on a hard table made of what she could only assume was some kind of metal. She heard her mother's voice begging her father not to push her that she had not actually ran away, but Julio wouldn't budge as he spoke of ideas on how to punish her for her defiance.

Andrea tensed as she felt his hand on her butt as he reached under her gown, she knew this wouldn't be a simple spanking, she hadn't had one of those since she was twelve years old. Suddenly she felt her panties become loose and fall open like a diaper. The gown came off next and he then she felt him spread some kind of jell over her rectum. Then his finger inserted into her opening. She bit down on the gag to keep from screaming out as he moved his finger in and out of her rectum spreading the jell deeper into her body and stretching the tight hole more and more. She gasped as she felt something hard and slightly pointy being pushed into her and tried to pull away, but she couldn't move as her anus was being stretched further and further as the plug was pushed into her, at the widest point it felt as if it wouldn't go in, but it did and she screamed in pain as it did so.

She could hear her mother begging that her transgressions be forgiven and that the torture end for her.

He freed her from the table and forced her to her feet and lead her into another room. The plug made walking uncomfortable but her body couldn't expel the offending object.

"I've done some research into punishments for this moment and I think you will enjoy what I have in store for you." He said as he secured her wrists to a wooden post. "And don't think I'm done with your ass, I've only just begun to use that hole." He said into her ear as he pressed lightly on the plug which caused her to whimper in fear. She heard him walking away from her and wondered what he was going to do to her. She had no idea what he meant by what he said about her.

"Don't do this to her Julio, it was all my fault, punish me!" Andrea heard Nancy cry out in fear "I sent her away, I sent her to my relatives, I agreed to let Stefan take custody of her! I knew where she was, she never ran away I sent her away... she was too afraid of you to ever run away."

Andrea screamed around her gag as a whip cut through the flesh of her back and Nancy cried as she watched her daughter be whipped.

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Stefan reached out for Andrea again and located her easily. He could feel that she was in terrible pain. He had no idea what was going on but he would find out and Julio would pay.

Stefan used his ability to transport to get to Andrea's location. He had landed where no one could see him but Andrea would know quickly that Stefan was near if she were conscious.

Julio was reaching back to strike Andrea again when someone grabbed the whip and yanked it from his hand.

He looked back and gasped in horror at the site of Stefan standing there with the whip in his hands.

"Is this how you deal with your child?" Stefan demanded.

"Who are you?" Julio demanded.

"Your worst nightmare." Stefan replied simply.

Nancy eased Andrea off the whipping post and put her face down on the floor.

"I am so sorry, honey, you never deserved this." Nancy said as Stefan an Julio fought. It was clear that Julio didn't stand a chance against Stefan as the vampire snapped Stefan's arm like a twig.

It was clear that Julio was ill prepared for the fight as he collapsed to his knees and tried to beg for mercy but his pleas like his daughter's before, fell on deaf ears.

Nancy was stunned when Julio fell to the floor dead, his neck broken.

Stefan walked over to them and began to look over Andrea's many wounds and gave a soft hiss and watched as Nancy eased a bulbous object out of her daughter's rectum which elicited a pained whimper from the battered and bloodied teenager.

"I hate that this happened to her." He said quietly.

"So do I." Nancy agreed sadly. "He would have tortured her to death had you not gotten here when you did... And he would have made me watch as my baby girl died."

Nancy watched as Stefan did what he could for Andrea there.

"Is that invitation you extended to me still open?" Nancy asked

Stefan looked shocked for a moment then nodded.

"Yes it is, why do you ask?" Stefan replied.

"I have nowhere to go, my family disowned me and Andrea and because of him I have no way of being financially independent." Nancy sighed "I'm homeless without your help."

"You are welcome to come live with me but there are things you need to be aware of." Stefan told her.

"You aren't human, are you?" Nancy asked looking into Stefan's walnut brown eyes.

Stefan nodded quietly as he collected Andrea into his arms, a pained moan escaped her as Stefan lifted her into his arms and began to fight him.

"Easy little one, it is me." He said softly.

" _Stefano... Fa male_ " she managed her Italian shockingly well pronounced and Stefan figured that it was because she spoke Spanish in early childhood.

Nancy followed Stefan out to her car that Julio forced her to drive to the location. Stefan assured her that her husband's body would never be found and no one would suspect any fowl play on her part.

Nancy watched as Stefan treated her daughter's injuries with more care than she dreamed he would. She knew Andrea trusted Stefan and she was only now understanding why she did.

Stefan used a blood exchange to ease her pain and jumpstart the healing process. Nancy hadn't been sure the exchange would do any good then she saw her daughter's entire body relax as the pain went away.

Stefan explained that he would give her painkillers and do several more exchanges to help her through the process of healing.

Nancy held Andrea's hand as Stefan finished cleaning up her injuries.

"I can't believe Julio would do this to her." Nancy said looking at the floor. She wasn't sure if Julio would have killed Andrea but knowing Julio he would have.

Nancy ran her fingers through her daughter's hair as she dozed off.

"You... You need to..."

"I'm not going to ask you to do that for me."

"I am offering myself to you, take it or leave it." She told him moving her hair to expose her neck.

Stefan slipped behind her and gently explained that he would restrain her for her own protection as if she jerked while he was at her neck it could kill her.

Nancy nodded listening to what Stefan had to say and obediently crossed her arms at her stomach and felt as he placed his hand over her arms and applied enough pressure to keep her from being able to free herself but not enough to do harm to her and the process of letting Stefan feed was like nothing she ever expected. It was a pleasant experience that she wouldn't mind allowing again and again. She had been shocked her daughter willingly allowed Stefan's feeding from her, now that she experienced it herself she understood why Andrea could allow it so easily. When he completed the exchange the taste was strange but not completely unpleasant, she figured she could deal with it on a regular basis and even learn to like the taste and effect of it.

It took weeks for Andrea to heal physically from the assault, but emotionally she was still in shambles, the nightmares took several months to fade but Nancy, Naomi and Stefan worked together to deal with what happened and, in time, Nancy, and Andrea could finally call the house home and the residents their family.

The End


End file.
